PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A judge dismissed a petition on Friday from constituents who sought to recall State Senator Louise Lucas.
Lawyers argued that Virginia’s law for recalling officials doesn’t apply to state senators, because the Constitution of Virginia says that must be done with two-thirds vote by the State Senate. The hearing was at 9 a.m. in Chesapeake.
About 4,600 voters in Lucas’ district filed the petition accusing Lucas, a longtime Democratic state lawmaker from Portsmouth who’s also president pro tempore of the Senate, of misusing her office when she told Portsmouth police officers they couldn’t arrest protesters at last year’s protest at Portsmouth’s former Confederate monument. The events that day eventually culminated in a man being seriously hurt when part of the monument fell on him.
Earlier this week, Lucas filed a $6.7 million lawsuit against former Portsmouth Police Chief Angela Greene and criminal investigator Kevin McGee, saying they worked together to bring baseless felony charges against her after the monument protest.
Greene was fired from the department months after the charges were filed. She later filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city.
Look for more updates from WAVY’s Jason Marks coming up.
